Sears To Open Larger Stores

BRIEFCASE

February 22, 2000

Sears, Roebuck and Co., the second-largest U.S. retailer, said Monday that it would open six Sears Hardware Stores with a 55,000-foot format - more than twice the size of its existing stores. The new stores will feature a greenhouse, drive-though pickup area and a larger assortment of items. The stores, modeled after the Orchard Supply Hardware stores that Sears bought in 1996, will be opened in the Northeast and Midwest in 2000, Sears spokesman Chuck Merydith said. Sears operates 187 Sears Hardware stores and 81 Orchard stores.